Catching up ...

Now that Mrs Billings has been sorted, I can work on a few things that have been niggling at me in the background.

First up, I had promised a sweet friend that I'd quilt a little project for her. I checked that off the list this morning. Here is a little of the border:

I find the hardest part of machine quilting is deciding what to put in each area. It's something I need to work on. Also, it had been such a long time since using my machine - my quilting was a little wonky in the beginning. It's like riding a bike though, and soon I was charging along nicely.

And next on the list: I had purchased a cute nightshirt from an online store a couple of months back. I just love it, but the buttons are so far apart on it that it gapes terribly. Solution: Add extra buttonholes. Something I have never done on my machine before!

In the top right picture, you can see the 'before' situation with the buttons. Bottom left picture, my terror getting ready to cut the opening in the button holes. Thankfully it worked. And bottom right picture, more buttons, happy wearer!

I don't have to procrastinate over this project any longer, and I'll be toasty warm in bed tonight!

And we're all done :-)

My goodness, what a flurry of finishing activities. The quilt is bound, labelled, ticketed and bagged ready for delivery on Thursday. I'm really surprised that I have a couple of spare days - actually, colour me amazed!

Today I hung the quilt in the dining room - I didn't do myself any favours by having the quilt scrunched up on the lounge overnight (mid hanging sleeve application) but hopefully it'll be alright on the day. Can you see my fingers crossed??

And because a blog post always needs some eye candy, here you go:

This quilt is just a touch smaller than my Nearly Insane quilt. Not by much, just an inch or two. Forgive my dining chairs for photo-bombing. It would not have killed me to move them out of the way, surely??

And here's another close up of the quilting. You can't even imagine how relieved I was to know with certainty that all the blue lines are gone.

So, now all I can do for Mrs Billings is wait. Sometimes it's the hardest part, but I'll fill you in if I have any interesting news. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to working on some other projects. Nothing big just yet - I want to be able to flit from one thing to another ... I haven't done that in a while!

Chatter soon :-)

Wow!!

Thank you all for your overwhelming response to my (almost) Mrs Billings finish. You're all so incredibly kind. And of course you know I'm entirely thrilled to have gotten it done under deadline ... only just!

Some sweet ladies have asked to see a close up of the quilting, and I'm happy to oblige. Please note that because of our dark wintery days right now, it's hard to get good pictures. That coupled with my complete lack of photography skills makes a picture haphazard at best. But here goes anyway:

This is an area out near the margins of the quilt - I will take some more pictures when it's hanging and I can get close.

I'd like to also say a big thank you to Sheila - she rescued me from my thread near-miss. I wasn't able to find the same thread I'd been using anywhere in the state and Sheila had a reel to lend me to help out. Thank you so much hon - very much appreciated. I had no idea I'd need two reels and a good portion of a third!!

And the good news is this: I've blocked and bound the quilt - that is a relief! The label is made, and now I just need to make up the hanging sleeve and sew the two items in place. Whew!!

And it was done!

HOLY ACHING FINGERS BATMAN!! I HAVE FINISHED QUILTING!!!

And trust me, my fingers are genuinely aching!! Now I just need to block, bind, apply a hanging sleeve and label ... before Wednesday evening. I CAN DO THIS!!

More soon!!

And I quilted some more ...

Yes, yes I did. I quilted some more ... and then when I felt I just couldn't quilt another stitch, I bribed myself with some Reese's, and my worn out fingers have quilted beyond a mere mortal's endurance.

But it's so worth it, because I'm mainly working out in the last border now ...

I'm starting to get nervous though, as I've nearly run out of my second reel of YLI hand quilting thread - and I haven't been able to locate another here in Adelaide. If I order one in, I don't know if it'll get to me in time if I do actually need it. Decisions decisions ... what to do??

Ohhh, and please forgive me - I have been spending virtually no time at all on the internets, so my blog visiting and message returning skills have all but vanished. I promise I'll catch back up with you all soon! xox

Happenings ...

So much has been happening - it really gets difficult to find time to share - my blog has been quite neglected lately.

First up: This weekend I'm teaching a class at Hettie's Patch. Such a delightful store, I'm looking forward to it. It's a Christmas in July project, click here for details. I do hope you can make it!

And I've been cooking! Something I don't do enough of ... Last weekend we were invited to dinner at the home of our oldest (as in longest time) friends. I wanted to bring dessert, and so I made Lemon Curd Tarts. I pinned the recipe on Pinterest, and I'll include the link here for you.

I didn't think to take a picture until I'd put them in the container to travel - next time I'll do better and show you how I presented them! Lemon Curd is something I'd never made before, and I'm still amazed by how easy it was. Since we have an abundant lemon tree - filled with Meyer lemons - you can bet I'll be making them again!

Now here's a dirty little secret - I've been watching the Great Australian Bake Off on TV - and I might be just a little hooked! Lo and behold, after my Lemon Curd success, the technical bake off on the Pies episode was Lemon Meringue Pie!! I made it my business to recreate some myself!

Click here for the GABO Lemon Meringe recipe. And another confession: I didn't follow their recipe really. I used a frozen shortcrust pastry sheet, and I used the Lemon Curd recipe from the tarts that I had made earlier in the week. I did use the meringue recipe from GABO, but I piped the extra into a dish just for Camo as he's not really into the curd. You see, the GABO recipe made a pie that could feed up to 10, and I just don't need that much temptation in the house! Anyways ... the pie was delicious - love love loved it! Definitely not Weight Watchers friendly, but Amy has requested it be made again ASAP!

And this last picture was taken by one of our lovely Guild ladies, Candy. I was so happy to lend my Nearly Insane baby to the Guild for display at the Sewing, Stitching and Hand Craft Show at the showgrounds this weekend just gone. And here she is in all her glory.

I was bummed not to be able to get to the show - it was a kid logistics thing. This was the first time this event has been held here, so I'm hoping I'll be able to get to it in coming years. How fun!

Ohhhh, and the class at Quilt Encounter on Tuesday was super fun, I had the best time with lovely students - I'm pretty sure they all went home happy. Once I've done all my homework, I'll share the project with you all.

Have a great week, and I'll chatter soon! xox

Progressing!!

I've been quilting away this weekend, and yesterday I came to something of a milestone ... I reached the outer border for the first time!

I can't get too excited, as there is still plenty to go ... but it does help with the feeling that the finish line is in sight. Alrighty ... I have a couple of chores to finish, and then I'm back to some more quilting! Chatter soon :-)

Quilting and writing notes ...

I'm still quilting on Mrs Billings - had you guessed? I try and move the hoop each day, so I'm progressing really well. It's school holidays here, so I'm spending time with Camo too ... life is busy, busy busy!

Today I finished off a task that I've been working at slowly for a little while. The notes for my class next week are finished - and now that they're done, I can relax and look forward to seeing the girls at Quilt Encounter.

Here's another sneaky peek of the project:

Once the class is done, I can share a picture of the whole thing, and I'm going to make arrangements to sell the patterns on my web page.

Alrighty, it's off to start on dinner, and then I'll be back into the quilting again. Chatter soon! xox